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A chimpanzee at a zoo in Wales has been filmed gesturing at the lock on his enclosure in an apparent attempt to get a visitor to release him. The video shows the chimp pointing its finger at a window bolt and mimicking the movement required to open it. In one gesture, its enterlaced fingers are reminiscent of the American Sign Language representation of the word "gate." Alex Bailey from Manchester, who recorded the interaction at the Welsh Mountain Zoo, interprets the signs as a direction to free the chimp. The visitor can be heard saying: "He wants us to lift the window up." Peter Dickinson, a worker at Welsh Mountain Zoo, has written about using sign language with animals as part of their enrichment program and has previously observed chimpanzees at the zoo trying to communicate with visitors.

No one will be allowed to hunt wildlife in Botswana, come 2014, President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama has announced. He said wildlife numbers were decreasing at an alarming rate, hence the decision. "Next year will be the last time anyone is allowed to hunt in Botswana and we have realised that if we do not take care of our animals, we will have a huge problem in terms of tourism," President Khama told Sankoyo and Mababe residents last week. The President also decried the rate at which poachers were killing elephants. He said government was aware of people's complaint about damages caused by the elephants in their villages, especially in the farms. He indicated that elephants were the main attraction of tourists to Botswana hence he could never allow for them to be killed. He also appealed to residents to help law enforcement officers in fighting poaching. In South Africa, he said, poachers killed 440 rhinos last year and this year they had so far killed 450.

The Sea Shepherd campaign to stop illegal Japanese whaling operations in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is having a serious political impact in addition to the massive profit losses by the whaling industry. Last week, the Japanese media reported that the whalers lost $20.5 million dollars USD last season because of Sea Shepherd interventions. A year ago Captain Paul Watson publicly exposed the fact that some $30 million dollars had been allocated from the Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund specifically to oppose the operations of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The Japanese government has seriously abused the goodwill of people around the world by spending funds meant for victims of the Earthquake and the Tsunami on projects completely unrelated to the disaster. It appears that the allocation to oppose Sea Shepherd was one of the most blatantly disconnected misuses of the funds...

Britain has delayed a plan to shoot thousands of badgers to stop the spread of tuberculosis in cattle in the face of overwhelming public opposition to the cull. Critics of the cull, which was supported by farmers, said it would be ineffective, not least because fleeing badgers would simply spread the disease beyond the pilot areas in southwest England where it had been due to begin shortly. The debate is a sensitive one in Britain, where the mass slaughter of cattle to control disease in livestock has left deep scars in farming communities following outbreaks of other diseases over the past two decades. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said on Tuesday the delay had been due to surveys showing a higher number of badgers than thought in the afflicted areas. Public opposition to the cull has been widespread, with more than 150,000 people signing an online protest petition initiated by former Queen guitarist Brian May.

It has been announced that several animals at The Ölands Animal Park and The Parken Zoo in Eskilstuna have been tortured and starved to death. A goat and a coati was beaten to death by a baseball bat because the owner said they couldn't afford a vet and had no longer room for them. Among other awful things they have put down endangered species to give room for others, telling visitors the animals have been removed to a different park. Though The Parken Zoo's slogan sounds "saving animals of the world" they have not approved they have, for example they starved two bongo antelopes to death. They even used their bodies to feed other animals at the zoo. There were also dead animals as crocodiles, tigers, cougars and chickens in a container, and the chickens were supposed to feed other animals. If you want to help end the suffering and mistreating and change the condition for these animals, you can sign the petition here.

Factory farming videos usually rip out your guts and serve them to you cold. It's a constant battle in the animal rights world. How do you show people the atrocities happening in factory farms each day, but also make it so they can get through the entire video without reaching for a noose? Animals Australia has nailed it with their inspiring, devastating and hopeful video featuring animals singing in a factory farm. Please, watch it here.

The demand comes after a conference in parliament earlier this week heard a robust defence of the foie gras sector from several prominent speakers, including French minister of agri-food industry, Guillaume Garot. The conference, organized by French MEP Francoise Castex, was also attended by some regional presidents, and an expert who led a discussion on how Europe could avoid a foie gras ban. Last Wednesday, MEPs who had organized a "counter" conference, branded foie gras as a "product being the result of real torture for animals." They pointed to a report by the international animal rights organisation Animal Equality into the foie gras industry. Animal Equality says the production of foie gras should be abolished, as it has been done in several countries. They are: Argentina, Austria, Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland, Israel, Turkey, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, UK and most recently, in California.

A coalition of marine conservation groups have begun legal action against the National Marine Fisheries Service approval for allowing the US Navy to upscale their active sonar operation that could soon cover almost 75% of the oceans and seas. Active sonar is known to be dangerous to whales, dolphins and other marine wildlife. The sonar has up until now only been deployed on a small test scale but now the US Navy wants to roll it out to cover most of the planet. Experiments have shown that the sonar will interfere with the way that many marine species hunt, navigate and communicate. Despite this the navy have only set aside a few small areas which they determine to be of conservation value to exclude from sonar coverage. The large-scale plans are set to last 5 years and will continue until august 2017.

A female zookeeper was seriously injured Friday after being "pinned" to a post by a young male Asian elephant during a routine training session at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. Two other keepers rushed to the woman's aid after they heard her cries and moved the elephant away, the zoo said in a statement. The woman was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but is now stable in intensive care. She has not been identified out of respect for her family's privacy, the zoo said. The elephant involved was a two-and-half-year-old male calf called Pathi Harn, which means "miracle" in Thai. The calf was given the name after being born alive, even after experts pronounced him dead in the womb following a difficult eight-day labor. The calf - initially referred to as "Mr Shuffles" due to his odd gait - was conceived by artificial insemination as part of the zoo's elephant breeding and conservation program.

On July 7, 2012, an international panel of neuroscientists at the Francis Crick Memorial Conference on Consciousness in Human and non-Human Animals signed the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness, which states that animals have consciousness and that humans are not unique in having consciousness. The Declaration's main author has since gone vegan. The Declaration can be downloaded here. The Declaration was written by Philip Low, a researcher with dual appointments with Stanford School of Medicine and the MIT Media Lab and founder of Neurovigil. The signing was done in the presence of physicist Stephen Hawking, with whom Low is working to develop iBrain, a device that reads brain waves and would help Hawking communicate. Hawking suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a.k.a. ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. Low stated, "Stephen was not physically able to sign it, but I read the last two lines of the Declaration on his behalf."

While every Morrissey show is darkly entertaining, every Ringling show, with its behind-the-scenes elephant beatings, is just plain dark. So when Moz played Boston right as Ringling was rolling into town, he gave his bandmates PETA's "Ringling Beats Animals" tees to wear and gave Ringling the big middle drumstick. Morrissey knows that true great shows don't involve beating crippled elephants with sharp metal-tipped bullhooks to force them to act out confusing tricks. PETA just released a new video showing a Ringling trainer striking an elephant, who is already showing signs of arthritis, because she wasn't performing exactly as she was told to.

A 10-year-old boy with Down Syndrome reported missing in Marion County overnight has been found. The family said Kyle Camp was watching television around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday before he went missing. They searched for him until 7 p.m. and then called police. Dozens of volunteers and the sheriff's department searched for the boy all night. Officials said at one point, at least 150 volunteers were searching for the boy. A volunteer searcher said he followed his family dog along a creek in thick brush and found the dog's puppies with the boy around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. "I heard the dogs barking again and followed him down there and started hollering for the puppies and I hollered for him and he hollered back. He was in the creek about a half a mile over the ridge," said searcher Jamie Swinney. Officials said the boy was wet and had no shoes. They think the puppies kept him warm overnight.

Leonardo DiCaprio was speaking last week on behalf of wildlife across the country and the importance of ceasing poaching. As he writes on Facebook, "Poaching is rampant throughout Africa – all for elephant ivory products that nobody needs. If we can't stop the illegal ivory trade in China and other countries, elephants will continue to be killed at alarming rates. Learn how the International Fund for Animal Welfare – IFAW is addressing this crisis and how you can help." This particular article that DiCaprio posted discusses how poachers have become more militarized and traffickers are now more organized. Not only does ivory come from Africa, but a lot is ending up in China.

Ke$ha's new song "Die Young" was inspired, in part, by the singer's work with rescued baby lions. Ke$ha says about the song off the album "Warrior", "The theme of this record is magic. I went on a spirit journey by myself. No security guard. No managers. I just went around the world and lived on a boat. I was in Africa rehabilitating baby lions. I went diving with great white sharks, and just went on this crazy spirit quest. I got hypnotized, and I just really wanted this record to be really positive, really raw, really vulnerable and about the magic of life." From boycotting the circus to speaking out against the clubbing of baby seals, Ke$ha has long been a friend to animals.

In one of the toughest stances yet taken by a leader in support of rhinos, King Goodwill Zwelithini has urged the public and conservation stakeholders to declare war on rhino poachers. The king said if the scourge of poaching was not arrested, everyone would be a loser. He was speaking on Saturday at Hluhluwe during an anti-poaching march organized by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and other concerned organizations. About 10,000 people, including American consular officials and prominent conservationists, turned up. Ezemvelo is urging communities to report poachers to the authorities.

Almost 2,000 feral goats have been culled and left to rot in the south-west of Wellington city to protect the environment. Wellington City Council said it had shot a total of 1,800 goats over the past year in the Makara-Ohariu area, towards the west coast. The council said it was necessary to increase the region's biodiversity and help replenish native habitat. The aim was to try and restore the indigenous forest which was cleared and farmed, according to the Feral Goat Eradication for South West Wellington - External Funding report. Trees such as tawa, rimu and northern rata were destroyed by the activity, with large areas reverting to scrub. Local landowners had been supportive of the idea as there had been a shift in recent years from traditional livestock farming to carbon farming, which aimed to produce carbon credits through vegetation growth.

Colombia's Mayor Gustavo Petro claimed at the World March for Animal Rights in Bogota that he will elminate all animal drawn vehicles in the capital city. According to W Radio, Petro said that by implementing the elimination of animal-pulled vehicles 1,700 horses will benefit. However, it will also affect nearly 11,000 families who rely on these animals as a means of survival. Petro also noted that over one million dollars would be allocated to replacing animals with special public service vehicles for the city. Allegedly the transition from animals to completely mechincal transportation will be completed in three to four months. During the event Petro recieved the "white bull" award for his work in favor of animal rights which also included banning bull fights in the Santamaria Plaza. The mayor was quoted saying, "The elite have to understand, and people in general, that we must not have fun when it comes to death."

In what's likely to win it yet another Genesis Award from the Humane Society of the United States, Fox’s hit series "Bones" introduced viewers to the cruelty of the exotic pets industry with "Tale in the Tiger." The episode revolved around the owner of an animal expo with a fetish for endangered species, the smuggling of tigers, and naturally, a dead body. Like the producers have done in the past, Emily Deschanel's real life animal rights convictions are projected through her character Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan. The episode as a whole also does a good job of informing on the illegal exotic animals trade without beating viewers over the head in the process. "Bones" previously did an episode about chicken farming, which really affected the fans and made Deschanel happy.

Starting in early 2013, the 12,000 square-foot 100% plant-based VegCo Market will open in the heart of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. According to New Times, the site will feature a grocery store, deli and bakery, a demonstration kitchen, a classroom and an indoor demonstration garden. "VegCo is an environment completely free of ALL animal products and derivatives," their FAQ states. "We do not stock meat, seafood, dairy, eggs or honey. None of the items we sell contain any of these ingredients. We sell an extensive assortment of plant-based foods, including a huge fresh produce section, whole grains and grain products, legumes, nuts, seeds, oils, sweeteners, spices, spreads, dips and sauces, snack foods, dairy alternatives, meat substitutes, and frozen foods. We also offer culinary equipment and a full- service deli and bakery."

In response to the wolves' attacks on nearby cattle herds, the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife announced that the entire Wedge Pack of gray wolves will be eliminated. Since mid-July, the wolves have killed or injured at least 15 cattle in northern Stevens County, Wash. In response, the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife's wolf policy coordinator, Steve Pozzanghera, stated that the department would be attempting to "remove" the entire eleven members of the pack. The so-called "removal" effort will involve hiring marksmen and trappers, and possibly aerial hunters. The challenge the wolves present is not simply that they are feeding on local cattle, but that experts believe they have now become dependent on the cattle. While state law requires cattlemen to work with the state to find nonlethal measures to mitigate wolf-caused losses, when push comes to shove, a person's right to protect his property will always prevail over the right of an animal to live.

Last week we reported that "Avatar" director and environmentalist James Cameron adopted a plant based diet for the good of the planet. Thanks to a new video posted by "Earthlings," we now see that he's spreading the message far and wide. He's challenging everyone to remove animal products from our diets. In the 28 second clip he says, "You can't be an environmentalists, you can't be an ocean steward without truly walking the walk and you you can't walk the walk in the world of the future, the world ahead of us, the world of our children, not eating a plant based diet." Animal rights supporters and vegans have often grumbled about the lack of dietary changes and talk of plant based diets amongst environmentalists. While eating local and organic is common in the green world, giving up animal products is more rare but more impactful. Perhaps a massive and respected voice like Cameron's will inspire eco-warriors to take the challenge and switch to a plant based diet for the good of this big blue planet. She needs all the help she can get.

Distressing news from the live export trade is nothing new, but news on Sept 28 surpassed everyone's worst fears: Thousands of Australian sheep exported to Pakistan have been clubbed, stabbed and buried alive. These are the latest tragic results of a live export industry that sends animals to be killed in countries where there are no laws to protect them from cruelty. When 21,000 sheep were rejected by Bahrain and then dumped in Pakistan, Australians held grave concerns for their welfare. Within days of arriving, the Pakistani government ordered the animals "culled"- fearful that they were carrying disease. Two weeks later, the animals have been deemed healthy and yet only half are still alive. Thousands have been killed and some are "missing." It is thanks to the bravery of a handful of Pakistani journalists, relentless in their pursuit of the truth, that the cruel demise of these animals hasn't been buried with them.

One of the world's most aggressive super trawlers, the Margiris, was scheduled to hit the shores of Australia's biodiverse oceans. Following passionate protests like the ones from 15,000 Care2 petition-signers, the super trawler has been banned from Australian waters until scientific research can clarify its environmental impacts. Australia's Environment Minister Tony Burke is concerned with the uncertain effects a super trawler will have on Australia's waters. Australia's oceans are home to dolphins, seals, seabirds and an array of vibrant and protected species whose habitats would be disrupted and populations diminished by such a massive trawler. After a summer of protesting, petition-signing and conversing with Australia's Environment Minister and Fisheries Minister, the super trawler was deemed a threat to sustainability. (Ban is only for two years. There will be an election in another year after which anything could happen, including the ban being lifted.)

Costa Rica is poised to become the first Latin American country to ban hunting as a sport, after Congress on Tuesday provisionally approved reforms to its Wildlife Conservation Law. Lawmakers voting on the ban voted 41 in favor and five against, and a second vote expected in the coming week is widely seen ratifying changes to the law, which aims to protect animals in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. Costa Rica's national parks attract some 300,000 visitors annually, and tourism is a mainstay of the economy. Jaguars, pumas and sea turtles are among the country's most exotic and treasured species, and are often hunted or stolen as trophies. The ban would not apply to hunting by some indigenous groups for survival, or to scientific research.

More than 10,000 people marched in Istanbul's Taksim neighborhood against a draft law on Sunday that would make changes to Turkey's Animal Protection Law No. 5199, seeking to introduce practices currently used in other countries such as collecting stray animals from the streets and euthanizing members of the "excess" population. Many others walked in 13 other cities, in protest of the planned changes. The draft came as a shock to the country's animal activists as it was presented to the prime minister after he and representatives of the country's major animal rights groups had met. Officials say the animals taken off streets will be cared for at "natural life" parks, but Turkey's experience with shelters and rehabilitation centers and the sheer number of animals on the streets due to municipalities consistently ignoring laws on spaying and neutering strays make this physically impossible. A massive protest is being planned to be held in Ankara on Oct 7. Four other cities - Kocaeli, Trabzon, Kayseri and Balikesir - are also planning demonstrations for that date. Parliament is due to open on Oct 1, and the draft is expected to be among the first pieces of legislation to be discussed.

Sir Roger Moore has called for a boycott of Fortnum & Mason until the retailer stops selling foie gras. The actor accused one of Britain's most famous department stores of trying to "hoodwink" the public into believing that its foie gras is ethically sourced. Moore, 84, said that Fortnum & Mason's claims about the controversial delicacy are a "sham" and accused the retailer of selling "torture in a tin" at its London store. He called on Fortnum & Mason - "which so blatantly trades on its English heritage" - to stop selling the product immediately. Sir Roger said that the company that provides foie gras pate to Fortnum & Mason's food hall and restaurants is supplied by farmers who keep geese in "cramped, filthy, barren" pens. The actor said that an investigation by animal rights group PETA found that some birds are so "desperately ill" that they can no longer stand. Foie Gras is controversial because its creation involves force-feeding grain and fat to geese or ducks. The technique produces liver fat, which is then sold.

A case of mad cow disease has been confirmed in Ukraine, the first in two years, reported the authorities on Friday. A cow from a private household in the central Vinnitsa region was found to behave aggressively on Tuesday, the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry said in a statement.

Despite a $1M reward offered by PETA, meat grown in vitro (aka, in a lab) has yet to make it beyond the hands of those in white lab coats. By next month, one company in the Netherlands hopes to deliver the first lab-grown patty – but with a cost of $345,000 attached to it. There's also the marketing problem of in vitro meat – since it conjures visions of a dystopian future more readily than a home-cooked meal. One company, however, is side-stepping the whole consumption conundrum and instead hoping that people might be more open to wearing lab-grown leather. Modern Meadow, backed by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, expects to commercially produce in vitro leather within the next five years. "The main reason is that, technically, skin is a simpler structure than meat, making it easier to produce," company cofounder and CEO Andras Forgacs told Txchnologist.

On Sept 29, Anne Hathaway officially became a "Mrs." She, and now husband Adam Shulman, exchanged vows in front of more than 150 guests on the California coast, PEOPLE reports. The reception included an all-vegan menu similar to the one at Hathaway's engagement party. Such plant-based goodies included veggie burgers, cupcakes and truffle macaroni and cheese. Natalie Portman's wedding planner, Yifat Oren, and event professional Stefanie Cove helped in creating what seems like the perfect weekend.

An investigation by NHK, Japan's national broadcaster, has revealed that substantial portions of the Y19 trillion that is being raised by tax increases and government spending cuts between 2011 and 2015 are going to promote the whaling industry, to train prison inmates and even to fund nuclear research. The report comes as companies in the regions hardest-hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake complain that they have yet to receive more than 60 per cent of the subsidies that were promised by the national and prefectural government to get their businesses up and running again. The ministry that overseas Japan's "research whaling" - condemned internationally as thinly disguised commercial whaling - defended the allocation of Y2.28 billion on the grounds that it would help the economies of coastal communities recover from the disaster.

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Animal Friends is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, founded in 2001 with the aim to promote animal protection and animal rights as well as veganism, as ethical, ecological and healthy lifestyle.
Animal Friends Croatia is a member organization of EVU,
Eurogroup for Animals, ECEAE, FFA, IAFC and OIPA.